SoccerWise - U.S. Soccerwise | What's Next for U.S. Soccer?

Episode Date: August 5, 2026

U.S. Soccer continues to build on the momentum from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but what comes next? David Gass, Walker Zimmerman, and Brianna Pinto reflect on their World Cup experiences, discuss what the tournament revealed about the future of American soccer, and explore how the sport can continue growing in the United States.The crew reacts to Mauricio Pochettino's contract extension, discusses the role of youth national teams and player development, explores how to grow soccer culture in America, and looks ahead to what's next for the USMNT and USWNT.Welcome to U.S. Soccerwise, our new weekly show covering the biggest stories and conversations across the U.S. men's, women's, and youth national teams.0:00 Welcome to U.S. Soccerwise4:12 World Cup Takeaways12:38 What Pochettino's New Deal Means16:02 The Role of Youth National Teams24:18 Growing the Game in America28:32 Youth Sports: Specialize or Play Everything?34:00 The Road Ahead for the USMNT & USWNT👍 Like • Subscribe • Listen • Follow🎧 Listen & follow Soccerwise on your favorite podcast app:https://soccerwise.captivate.fm/🎥 Watch full video episodes on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@SoccerwiseHQ🌐 Visit Kickback Soccer for more podcasts, news, and coverage:https://kickbacksoccer.com📰 Subscribe to The Kickback newsletter:https://the-kickback.ghost.io📲 Follow Soccerwise on social media:Instagram: SWWomenFChttps://www.instagram.com/swwomenfcInstagram: SoccerwiseHQhttps://www.instagram.com/soccerwisehq/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/soccerwisehq.bsky.social

Hey, everybody, David Goss here on our newest show, U.S. soccer-wise. We've got a huge episode coming up for you with two of our favorites, Walker Zimmerman and Brianna Pinto, to talk about the future of American soccer, to talk about what the World Cup was, what it meant, and what we should look for going forward. If you haven't listened already last week in our first ever episode, we had Den Helfrich on the chief operating officer of U.S. soccer. We talked with him at the time about Maricio Poititititino, what he means to the program, but much more big picture stuff around building a soccer culture in America and what USSF should be and what it can be

for the game going forward. We are going to be doing this show every single week. We are going to be talking about all of the big stories around U.S. soccer. We're going to talk about the first teams, of course, we're going to talk about camps when call-ups happen. We will help you preview and review big games for the U.S. men's national team and the U.S. women's national team. We will talk all the way down through the rising stars that are coming up. who to watch out for. And of course, the youth national team ranks with the U-20 men's national team.

Fingers crossed as I record this, hopefully clinching a spot at the U-20 World Cup in 27. And, of course, we'll be covering the women's U-20 World Cup coming up in 2026, heading towards the Olympics for both sides and, of course, the 2027 women's World Cup. So we've got a range of co-hosts that are going to come through and sit with me and talk. Of course, Jordan, Doyle, and Tom will be a part of that. But we've got Walker. We've got Brianna and we've got some other big names that are going to become a part of this show.

We're going to do some big interviews like we did with Dan, but really it's a chance for us to continue the conversations we had at the World Cup around the U.S. national teams, around some of the biggest teams in the country and the growth of the game. We have two of what is going to be our recurring co-host, but we're all going to do this one together so we can talk all things U.S. soccer. I've got the jacket on. You guys don't need the jackets because you've played for the teams. what we have with us, Walker Zimmerman and Brianna Pinto, two of the members here at Kickback Media. How are you guys doing? Doing well. Excited to be here and chat with both of you.

Yeah, first of many new podcast, man. We're excited. Yeah, we just like rolling out new shows. That's what we do best. So we just have to keep doing it over and over again. But we had a ton of fun talking with both of you as we led up to the World Cup. Both of you were very busy throughout the summer. and both of you had survival experiences this weekend playing soccer,

one on a baseball field, one in a monsoon. So we're glad that everyone's okay and still ready to be here. I felt like I was running a player therapy session. As Walker, I started with you saying like, oh, how are you doing? What a terrible field. What a terrible experience this weekend. Yeah, I mean, I'm just really happy that New York City is going to get their own stadium soon. I think it's like what, this time next year, like the fall of 27?

Yeah. I mean, it's good. They need it so badly. Normally it's already miserable playing in a baseball stadium, but Liverpool was actually training and playing on that pitch Tuesday and Wednesday before our Friday game. So you can imagine the state of the outfield for that game that we had on Friday.

It was just, it was tough. Definitely by the worst I've seen it. And then, Brianna, we did our end of ourselves already this week where me and Jordan talked about. During the Louisville Chicago game, you physically couldn't see the stands on TV. it was so white from rain everywhere. It was just unbelievable because I was looking at the screen in the stadium

and you could see the rain going sideways, like the waves of it just passing across the field. So, yeah, it was definitely a little bit chaotic for us, especially since we were pushing for a late goal. Yes, it was a wild finish to that game. And, of course, we are covering MLS and NWSL and everything else. But the focus of this show is going to be U.S. soccer, as I said on the top. So we're going to talk men's national team,

wounds, national team here. some youth national teams, and then big picture the future of the game. But a big part of why this conversation is happening now is the World Cup that was just hosted here in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Brianna, I know you got to go to at least one game. We talked ahead of the World Cup, how big a piece of getting this World Cup you were. So what was your World Cup experience? What was the summer like?

Man, like even thinking about it makes me smile because getting to go to L.A. and experience so-fi was honestly second to none. That stadium is probably one of the most beautiful stadiums I've ever been in. It was packed with American fans. It was the USA versus Turkey a game, and unfortunately they lost, but I thought it was a good performance for most of it. And I was particularly excited for Sebastian Burrhalter because we went to school together and to see him rise to the occasion

was really, really special. So I got to go with my whole family and just seeing the passion, from American fans, finally having the World Cup on our home soil, was truly something to be excited about heading into the future of what American soccer looks like. Walker, I know you were out in LA for a bit as well. I was. I got to go to SOFA as well. It was my first time in the stadium for the opener.

And that was so special. I mean, watching even the national anthem from Dan and Shea to the first half performance from the guys against Paraguay, I mean, it was just an unbelievable attitude. atmosphere and I was out there, DeAndre Yedlin was at the game with me as well, and we were walking into the stadium for like, you know, 45 minutes to an hour. And it hit us like, this is actually the first time we've done this. Like we're walking in with like all the fans. Everyone's like, you know, trying to start the different chance as we're walking into the stadium. And I was like, man, this is so cool. It just had such an excitement around it. And then to obviously start out the whole tournament and such a dominant and important game for us just I think was the starting point. for all the momentum that we've seen build up throughout the tournament. So great, great World Cup. Love getting to watch all the games. Got to cover some of them out in L.A.

And it was truly a special World Cup to be a part of. I think the reports were that there were a million people in downtown Seattle around the USA Belgium game. I think the stadium holds a little over 65,000. The feeling was that there was probably about 500,000 people in the area just watching the game in Pioneer Square, at different screens. And I know some of the people that I talked to were inside the stadium during the march,

which they said was already at capacity. And there was 35,000 people in the American House March that were just there to march and walk through the city. It was definitely a one-off experience, one of one. I've talked to a lot of people about this. I mean, it was the big conversation. Is this going to be sort of the jumping off point for soccer? How does this affect soccer in America? Walker, as we're about a month out from it sort of,

ending for the U.S. men's national team. What do you make of what this summer was for American soccer? I think it was important. I think that some of the early performances especially got fans and the general public excited. Obviously, we saw the record-breaking viewership numbers that were coming in game after game. But I think the true impact, it remains to be seen. I think that's going to be something that we need to monitor over the next couple of years is like, okay, we had this awesome tournament on home soil.

we had the excitement build up, but like, can you sustain it? And I think it's going to be too early at this point to see how successful it was. Yeah, hopefully we got people interested, but are they interested enough to really invest and start playing and being involved with the sport a little bit more? And that's something that's going to, you know, take a couple years to see how the impact, you know, truly hit. Brianna, you were in L.A., but you're also in Chicago, which wasn't a World Cup City uniquely, although it hosted the send-off game, What did you make of like sort of the vibe and if there is potentially lasting impact from hosting this World Cup? Well, Summertime shy is the best point in time to be in the city. It was warm.

Everybody was at watch parties. The Chicago Fire actually hosted a viewership party for the U.S. men's national team and other games at recess in West Loop. And that was super special. My whole team had a section where we got to watch the game and be among the fans of, not only the U.S. men's national team, but also the fire and even our team, the stars. So I think for a lot of people, that was their first experience watching international soccer and they're trying to get a feel for what it was like.

But I think the biggest takeaway, having gone to a fan zone in Rhode Island when we played against Boston and in Chicago, was that it was a center of a place to engage with the public. And so many new fans were introduced to a space that was welcoming, inclusive, there was energy. And I think people have been craving those kind of like third spaces, if you will, especially since COVID and people have that desire to be social. So centering that experience around sports where we get to add in that national pride, supporting our country. I thought that was really, really empowering.

And I think a lot of people tapped into, you know, what makes cities so diverse and their countries that they support. And that's part of the pitch of how you can get new people, I think, in the U.S. into soccer is we have big sports, right? We have the NFL and NBA and WNBA, all these things. What's different about soccer is the social experience around it. And I think watching Algerian fans march through Kansas was something we thought we would never see.

And that's the part where how can you keep that going? I think a huge piece of it is the in-stadium experience around MLS and NWS. on the MLS side of things, it may not be at the competitive level of a World Cup match that you're going to see in Argentina versus England. But I do think like the atmosphere and the experience around it is very similar in the quality of stadiums that have been built and the fan bases that have grown. And, you know, you talk about a march. Like there are marches the most MLS and NWSL games. I think that's the big pitch to a lot of people. And I think we're going to see it in the fall because the U.S. men's national team just announced four friendlies in the U.S.

The women have announced two back-to-back games against the World Cup reigning champions in Spain. So this is going to be, Walker, to your point, that test of like, what's the lasting power of it? This is going to be that first jump-off opportunity for these teams to show that there is legs to this and people are really invested. Yeah, I mean, to that point, it's like the amount of text

I would receive from very casual or first-time soccer fans during the World Cup at the beginning of like, oh, wow, like, US looked pretty good. to where at the end they're like trying to what do we need to change with you a soccer and become better as a country and I'm like so like they they went on that journey do they stay on it like that's the ultimate question that we have to ask ourselves and and what can we do to keep that momentum alive and so to your point having the excitement around our domestic leagues with with MLS and WSL and WSL and all the leagues that are below those that's that's the challenge

and then the other piece is next summer Brianna we're going to talk about this in depth more but there's a Women's World Cup in Brazil, which I think as we saw, you know, you mentioned the TV numbers. They were all compared to mainly 2014 and 15 because time zone is so important. Like the reality of it is a World Cup in New Zealand is not going to be as highly viewed as a World Cup in Brazil. How excited are you for the summer of 27 after what we just went through? I think the summer of 27 is going to be incredibly exciting because we want to capitalize on the growth that we've seen here in America. America. And we've got so many of the best players in the world playing in the NWSL. So if they attach themselves to these clubs that are doing exceptional things with global talent, then they can hopefully

take that fandom and support these players into the 27 Women's World Cup. And I think that is going to be the launch pad for the women's game. I think we're already seeing bits and pieces of it with the investment that we have across the world. But the Women's World Cup is whatever. everybody like really latches on to because there's a trophy at the end that is shared globally. It's going to be a big tournament. And MAA is going to be a big piece of that, which we're going to talk about in just a moment. But first, Riso Pochitino has been named as an extension on his contract for four years as the head coach for the national team all the way through the 2030 World Cup. So he took over, I think, 20 months before the previous World Cup.

so half a cycle. Pretty much the talk started before the tournament even began with him and U.S. soccer. We had Dan Helfich on the show. Last week he talked about how intense of those talks have been in sort of the two-way road between the two parties. And now we come out of a World Cup and now it's his job to sort of move things forward. Walker, I wanted to tap back into your experience four years ago where you went to Qatar. You were part of the team. And then coming out of it, what is sort of the process?

process that the players and sort of the group is going through right now. How much is the group talking? What are you digging into? Is it this happened and now we move forward? How do you sort of treat it? Well, it's, I mean, it's slightly different given the drama that we had come out of the last World Cup. I mean, I have to mention how awkward that was with just the whole, you know, rehiring of Greg, but amongst the circumstances we didn't have to wait the next couple of months of like having interim. He had to go through some hoops as well to get back. And it was just kind of like a weird transition

that ended up being the same. And then obviously Copa America didn't turn out how we wanted to and we moved on from Greg. Here, you know, a quicker turnaround, Paschino is going to have a full four-year cycle to implement his ideas, his plans. But ultimately, for me, it's him committing to U.S. soccer as a whole. I mean, when you become the head coach

of the U.S.man's national team, team. It's you're only at camp and you're only in tournaments a certain amount of days out of the year. Like there needs to be that commitment and investment into the rest of the entire federation. And so I think that this is a step of and that was the biggest question mark, right? Is like, does he want to stay? Does he want to be here? Sure, he's going to evaluate his options all fair and good. Now that he has committed, I think it shows that he is willing to take on the challenge of doing more than just coach the camps, coach the games for the U.S. men's national team, but look at the whole Federation as a whole. How can we continue to develop

the youth programs, grow the women's game, get more people introduced to the sport. I think he is now knowing more of what he's signing up for going into this extension. Brianna, what do you make of sort of what a head coach's role is in all of that? Well, honestly, when we talked about it earlier this year, I was a little skeptical. I didn't feel like we had an identity. I wasn't sure what the direction was because we were still experimenting so close to the tournament. But credit to Pocitino for making us a believer, there was flair, there was excitement, at least in the attack, they were creating goals. And I think that was encouraging to see because there was that competitive edge that I think some teams had been missing. So, you know,

to Walker's point, going into a proper four-year cycle and like making that commitment, to this federation, we can really see how the team continues to evolve with bringing new ideas, new players that bring a different level of dynamism that will help us in the next four-year cycle. Marisa Pocetino in his comments this week talked about 17, 18, 19-year-olds who are looking at it now and saying, here's my opportunity. It's a big year for a lot of young players. We're currently in the middle of U-20 World Cup qualifying on the men's side, which we don't know the result yet. So if the U.S. lost tonight, we will probably do something special around that because that would be a big upset. And if they win, then they would have clinched a spot at the U-20 World Cup.

Have already clinched the spot, of course, at the Olympics because we are the host country. On the women's side, we have a U-20 World Cup coming up in the fall. You've both lived through sort of breaking into youth national teams. What is the experience like for young players and sort of how intense is it, Walker, as you get that first call up where you meet national team players, even at the youth ranks for the first time? I mean, it's such, those are core memories and those are core friendships that I value, you know, throughout my entire career. It was like, I remember how we started at U-14 national team camp. Like, at the time, it's changed a little bit now, the format.

But back when, back in my day, we had the ODP system, and we had the four region teams. If you make the region team, you go to a national team camp. It was like 120 of us from the four different regions. And ultimately, they weed that down to like, you know, 30 guys who are a part of the U-4. 14 cycle. And, you know, there's very few of us who have gone from U-14 all the way through the full team. But along the way, there are new faces that come in, old faces that come and go and return. And for me, you know, I didn't get to go to the U-20 World Cup. I actually broke my ankle playing interim of volleyball and learned my lesson about how to stay with my sport,

stay in my lane a little bit. So, yeah, I will say like the competitive matches at the youth level, It is so much fun because you feel like you're playing for the first time for something so much bigger than what you're used to. And it's good to have guys and girls who can feel that pressure for the first time of representing your country in an actual competitive match. Like, oh, we have a chance to go to a World Cup, to go to an Olympics. Like you kind of start to see which players are stepping up in those moments. And like you can kind of say like, are they going to have successful careers or not based on like their mentality in the way that they approach those games because there's a level of maturity that they carry for those big games. And it's just fun to play with the best kids your age

because at that point in time, you're used to being one of the better ones in every match. But then you go to a national team camera like, oh, like I got to, I might not play. Like I need to, I need to train well. I need to behave properly, like show all my habits to try to earn my spot on this team. And I think that competitive nature at that age is so important. I mean, we need way more of it to develop the top talent. Brianna, you had a smile on your face and walk. Yeah, I know. I was like thinking all the way back because my first camp I was 12.

I went to a U-14 camp in Portland, Oregon. And I remember what it was like flying across the country for the first time by myself. And there are 48 girls selected. And so many of the girls that were there are still in the NWSL, which is crazy to me. But these girls become your best friends. And you go through hard things together. and you are forced to compete at a high level, every single training. Because one of the things that was instilled in us is you never want to become complacent

because somebody is looking for your spot. And how cool and how blessed were we to travel the world all throughout high school and go to all these remote locations representing our country. So we just knew that we were playing for something so much bigger than ourselves and that it was always an honor to represent the crest. And I just look back on that experience with gratitude because in those camps, you're away from your peer parents, your team, and you have to represent all the values that they've instilled in you on and off the field. So, you know, looking back going into World Cups, my two World Cup teams with the U-17s and U-20s did not do well. And then my age group for the 2000s for the 2020 FIFA World Cup got canceled due to COVID.

So that was a little bit unfortunate because the U20 World Cup is kind of a launch pad for a lot of people's pro careers. But I think our team was our group of players was incredibly resilient. And it's cool to see how many people are still playing and just making a name for themselves in the women's game. So I feel like I'm going to know the answer to this from YouTube based off. this, but Dan Helfrich is on the show last week, and he talked about increasing the amount of youth national team camps. Obviously, the NTC, the National Training Center is a big part of that. Like, now you don't have to travel around everywhere. Everyone's always going to come to this place that U.S. soccer owns. I sort of pushed back on that idea in that now there are pro pathways

for young players, right? Like, if you look at the U20 World Cup on the women's side, a chunk of the players currently play in NWSL and, like, play, not just our part of teams. Walker, you are a part of a club now that has like a pathway of its own obviously mainly for canadian players of like you've got pro training environment you know academy players can be in first team training consistently plus two teams and all of that am i wrong in thinking that is more useful like for a player to be around their pro team than a youth national team and maybe the youth national teams have sort of aged out of being as necessary for the growth of american soccer i mean it brings up a lot of good points but i think dare I use the political answer,

like it is pretty individual because if you're a player that is young and you're actually getting minutes and meaningful training sessions, then sure, it makes a lot of sense. If you're a young player that's just signed to a first team deal, you're still training with the second team or MLS-X pro,

you need to go to these national team camps. You need to prove that you are capable of leading your age group in a way where like, yes, you're a pro, but like how can you be with your own age group where you're playing against people your age? So if you're getting a lot of experience in minutes, for sure. It makes sense to stay in that environment and keep pushing forward in training because it's at a high level.

But if you're maybe not getting first team minutes on either the men's or women's side, like it is important to get around that group, build relationships with that team. And that way you're not showing up for a U-17 or U-20 qualifying tournament or World Cup for the first time just because you're talented enough. And now you have no team chemistry. Now the person that you replaced who have been playing all the other camps is feeling bummed because they're like, well, this isn't fair. I've gotten us here and now this pro, we don't even know how they fit in with the team. So there is a balance there. I would love to see, you know, more competitive, even camps and training environments where

like, are we sure we're identifying the 18 to 36 best players in this age group? Not just your point to the fewer camps means less kids get an opportunity to show themselves. Maybe they stick with the roster just because they have pros on them. and maybe you're missing out on some opportunity for other people to show head to head against their, you know, their peers that they deserve to be there. I also agree with Walker's point. More exposure is never a bad thing, like especially playing at the international level, getting to get those games under your belt and understand the stakes that you're at and how to compete, how to show up, how to come out from behind. Those are all characteristics that are going to be necessary in a World Cup. And if you're not replicating that in your club environment,

it's really hard to just turn it on at the flip of the switch. So we are seeing more young players come up in the women's game, but there aren't enough consistent development platforms for them to play first-te-minute or at the international level. So exposure, especially on the women's side, I think is a huge benefit. Okay, so we, you know, clearly I have an incorrect view, which I'm happy to stay. standby and I'm happy to take.

But youth national teams was a large part of what Dan Helferch talked about, but there was a lot of things that I think everyone, Walker to your point, everyone's texting us, the soccer people in their life. What do we got to do to be the best country in the world, all these things, blah, blah, blah. I sort of posed this to you guys yesterday to think about. What do you think are big challenges that the Federation or American Soccer is facing right now? Brianna, what do you think about when I asked that question? Yeah, I think it's making sure that everyone.

Every stone is turned and making sure that every person, no matter where you come from in the United States, or even abroad, when you have citizenship, that you get a chance to represent our Federation. And I think in the women's game, it's making sure that there are proper development platforms. You need good coaching. You need great scouts. You need all the resources that the men's game has developed to this point in time. But usually that takes a lot of time to get to that point. But I do think that. that there's greater investment that's coming in at all fronts, from grassroots to youth club soccer, to the college platform, and now to the pro levels. So I do think there's a holistic sense that everybody's invested in seeing the women's game thrive because we know what it looks like when the women are successful.

And thankfully, with the U.S., they've won four titles, and that comes from a wealth of experienced people who are invested in its growth over the course of 30 or 40 years. Walker, what comes to mind for you? Honestly, it's like how naive we can be as Americans to always think that we deserve to be the best just because we like won it more or have resources to make it happen when in reality I think it's just a culture thing. You look at the best teams around the world and how much they eat, sleep, breathe, they live the game.

Like that is their sport in their country. and the beautiful thing about America is like, yeah, there is so much diversity. There is so much opportunity. There's a lot of opportunity to do different sports for kids. And it's just, it's hard to try and create that culture where kids are waking up and all they want to do is play soccer. And they're doing it at all costs at their schools, their recesses. Like, it is a mentality shift. And that's why I think growing the game in general, like, yes, the more we grow our domestic leagues.

and kids see that as a real opportunity to have their dream of becoming a professional athlete with something that like is the stardom for them. You know, right now they look at other sports and like, I want to be in the NBA. I want to be in the WNBA. I want to be in the NFL. Like, soccer isn't their number one dream

because I think that we're early on in this process of making it so appealing. But it's hard to just recreate a culture where kids are going to wake up and want to just kick a ball all day. And that's the reality that we're facing in a lot of these other countries. And so it's not like we can just buy our way to the top. Like we have to, again, identify ways to make it affordable, accessible for everyone to play

because that will develop hopefully some future stars. But it's going to be growing the sports popularity in a way that kids are wanting to make that choice to pursue soccer at the same rate that they're trying to pursue these MLB, you know, MLB, NFL, NBA type sports. Yeah, it is interesting because it's almost building in two directions. And we talked about this a little bit last week. So we have like, it seems like some initiatives to try and bring soccer into like public schools to make it that first touch point like it is with football and basketball

and baseball for people depending on where you live. And then the flip side is like there's probably a pretty big level of good in that progress that Erling Holland did this summer where there's going to be a chunk of kids who want to be the next early holland. And they're going to see him like people saw Michael Jordan and LeBron James and AJ Wilson and are like, that's what I want to be, right? That's, I want my own sneaker. I want to be a superstar.

Like, that's the dreams that drive a lot of people to the highest, highest points, which we haven't always had those models and examples or opportunity to get there, which it feels like has shifted now, potentially because of the World Cup in a way that maybe it wouldn't have happened without it, which could be some of the lasting effect of this World Cup. Okay. I do have a own other thought, though. Because I feel like American culture is an abundance of choice. So to your point about culture, we have so many different options.

And you were saying, like, how do we single in on, you know, wanting to become a professional soccer player? So I guess the question that I'd pose to you is, like, what are your thoughts about early specialization in the sport of soccer? because I grew up playing tennis, basketball. I ran cross-country, and I, like, love those sports. And I feel like they shaped me into the athlete that I am today. But I'm like, you know, would I have been a better player had I devoted all of my time and energy to soccer? So what are your thoughts? I'm aligned with you.

I grew up playing basketball, baseball, soccer, until seventh grade. Volleyball, I guess, to an extent. But, yeah, through seventh grade, until that point where I mentioned, like, the U-14 national team, at that point when I got called into that team, I'm like, my best chance of being a pro athlete is soccer. So now I need to make sure that I do everything I can. But I think so much of my success in soccer has come from playing those other sports. Like I think your ability to defend in basketball is so similar to how you defend in soccer with athleticism, the footwork, anticipation. Like so much it can translate over.

So I'm more aligned with you on that. And that might be, I think we might actually be in the minority in terms of how some people are thinking about developing the next soccer star. And I do think there is a point that you have to, for sure, make that choice. But I think too many kids are actually making that choice so early. And they're missing out in so many fun childhood experiences. But there's certainly an argument to be had. Like, would we have been better? I don't know.

Maybe my footwork would probably have been better. My weak foot would have been better for sure. But it's like, then would you take away some of my anticipations? and ability to read the game and one-me-one defending if I hadn't have developed my body in other ways through playing other sports, I don't know.

So I go back and forth with it, but I'm really happy and loved the fact that I got to play and experience, you know, other sports. Brianna, you obviously, well, obviously, you grew up in a unique experience and you are a soccer family, right? Your parents played at a high level,

your siblings play. When you played those other sports as a kid, did you play them knowing, though, the whole time that soccer was the main? focus or was it an open idea of whatever I play I might end up playing? I was a competitor and still am a competitor, so I wanted to play at what I was good at. I wanted to win. That was the first thing.

So our parents kind of steered us towards sports that they played because they wanted to be able to give us pointers. So like my dad played tennis and obviously his main sport was soccer. And then my mom played softball at Carolina. So we also did baseball. but they didn't really encourage like football or any sports that they weren't familiar with because they wanted to like be a part of our growth process. So I guess to your point, like coming from a soccer family was such a huge benefit because I had my dad and my brothers on the field with me teaching me

technique how to strike the ball, how to how to have a proper first touch. And when you have that sort of development at home, it one removes a barrier of participation because sports are cost prohibitive, especially at the club level for soccer. So if you have an environment at home where you can learn the game every single day and get touches and you have people that are encouraging you, you're going to be better off. So I think all the other sports were fun, though. I really did enjoy just like doing different things. But I knew deep down inside that my best chance at becoming a professional athlete was with soccer.

And it's what I love the most. and you are two of the 150 people who think that and then actually do it which you know we're in a conversation with a third person who thought all those things and then never played professional sports which is the other option I will say we were incentivized so if any of us scored we were bribed with ice cream so that goes a long way as a kid if you want something walker your kids are going to wake up in a little bit bribery works they won't be getting they won't be getting bribes from me I'll be honestly what I'm trying to focus on more and I'm sure that your parents did a great job of it because you're very well spoken and respected amongst your peers but honestly trying to take the focus away from the performance and more about

hey if they come back and Tucker scores a hat trick or something I'd be like I love how you treated your teammates on the field today I love that play where you ran back and made a play and sprinted back on defense when no one else is running hard like highlight those things

and that's like trying that's what I'm trying focus on. And it's early in their sports journey, but like I really want to highlight the character piece because I think I've grown so much just with character from sports. And I want to make sure that that's like their number one takeaway because if they don't end up making it to the level they want to achieve, whether it's college or professional, they're going to walk away with the life lessons that we all love that we get from sports. We've got another show. We've got parenting and coaching. We have Walker and Brianna for the next generation. So if everyone wants to access to that show, reach out to me individually. I'll put together a subscription service.

Maybe we'll get, I don't know, Jessica Alba's brand to sponsor us. And then look, we've got a business model. There we go. Let's close out on the fall to come. I mentioned it four games for the U.S. Men's National Team, two games for the women's national team, massive opponents across both some big stadiums as well. Let's talk about what we hope to see, I think, from these teams. For the U.S., it's Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada. Those are all four in the same windows to close September and open October across the U.S. from Florida, St. Louis, Arizona, and Minnesota. So Pochitino, it's his first chance post-World Cup to bring a group together.

Walker, there's a lot of talk across the, you know, fan base of, is this experimental? Do you bring in young players for the first time? Do you go back to the team at the World Cup and start driving towards a Nation's League and a Gold Cup and Copa America, potentially after that. What do you make of sort of what you do with this fall window? I think it's probably going to be a mix. I think you're going to have for sure a lot of the core guys in the World Cup back. And I think you're going to expand into maybe some of the younger players who didn't get

an opportunity to go to the World Cup, who have been playing really well, their domestic leagues to get an opportunity to break into the team. I would be shocked if it's like a squad roster that we just had in the World Cup. I think it's a good opportunity to bring other people in, obviously not doing a complete 180 and bring in like an entirely new roster, but I do expect to see a lot of younger and less experienced players join in with some of those guys who were important for us in the World Cup. Brenna, you mentioned it felt like a real style emerged in the summer.

How do you balance keeping that going while also giving new players opportunity or finding new options that could be helpful? Well, I think it's important. I do think a style emerged in the group stage games, but when it counted, like, towards the quarterfinals, like, that's when we crumbled a little bit. And I think this is a perfect opportunity to light a fire under the guys who have been starters and, you know, bringing young players that are hungry that want to be a part of this national team. That being said, when you do bring in new players, you want to make sure that there's a good balance

to ensure that they are successful, if you will, because if there's no leadership, then you're kind of like throwing them into the fire and you want to give them an environment where they can lean on some of the vets, but also feel like they have a real opportunity to break into this team and make a name for themselves. On the flip side, we've got two games, U.S. Spain, you know, World Cup champion, Olympic champions. It'll be in D.C. and Philadelphia right after the men's window ends, I believe it's October 10th and 13th. So if you live in that area, you probably already can't get tickets, but you should try to get tickets. if you can. Brianna, we know Emma has talked about sort of experimentation over the last year and a year

and a half and now focusing. November will be World Cup qualifying. That will be a one-off tournament. And then the hope is next Brazil a World Cup. What do you think this camp looks like for Emma and sort of the work she's trying to do? I think she's going to hone in on the players that have been performing at their club environments and have also been familiar with the U.S. national team system. and it's a real chance to test themselves against a great European side

because Spain are an exceptional group of players. And, you know, there's just not many times when you're playing like a top, you know, five matchup in the world. So you really have to take those seriously, ensure that your best players, if you will, the ones that you think you're going to count on in the World Cup next year, are available to see where they stand. Walker, I know you've worked alongside Emma as an Olympic. representative on the men's side at the last World Cup.

What do you make as you sort of experience the World Cup here, the pressure and everything that's going to happen and her ability to sort of manage this group into that? Yeah, I love the way that she's managed this team throughout, you know, this cycle and the way that she brought in so many new faces early on and the culture that she's created just feels so positive but still demanding. I think it's a fine balance that she walks in a really, really good way. I loved seeing some of the content on the, you know, women's national team social media with her speeches

and the way that she talks, you know, to the team after that game in Brazil and talking about, you know, the environment and what it's going to take. And I just feel like she has a really good gauge and a good pulse on that team. And so I am excited to see them take on another challenge, another tough opponent where that's, to be honest point, you don't have many chances to play top five teams in the world

in some competitive matches a year out from a World Cup. And so this is a huge test for them to try and say, are we that dominant team? Are we the team to beat in the next World Cup? And I think that that game is, that should be the mentality is like, we are the team still. Like, we are the ones that target on our back.

Like, we are the ones who can take the game to you. And I'm excited to see, you know, that game in particular, but also everything that they accomplish next summer. It's interesting with the Olympics being such a big deal on the women's side that you have like two reigning world champions right now at the same time

it's almost boxing style and then when you can finally line them up to play against each other maybe you get a little bit definition between the two so it is going to be a massive game and then women's world cup qualifying starts on November 27th down in Dallas the US plays El Salvador in that match if you win

you clinch a spot in the World Cup if not you go into some playoffs to playoffs to playoffs to playoffs to try and get to the World's Cup. So fingers crossed, that's not the case. But we will have all your coverage here on soccer-wise. We're going to have shows around all of those camps that get announced in the fall, all the big games, the U-20 World Cups, U-17s, and everything else in between.

And we're excited to all be here together and do this. So once we get through the parenting section, we'll dig into the soccer and the tactics and everything else in between. But Walker, Brianna, thanks for both of you for being here with me. Thanks for having us. Thank you so much. I really enjoy this conversation. All right.

Well, once again, thank you so much to Walker and Brianna for taking the time to join me for this one. They will be back, as I said, often to talk about the U.S. national teams. We will have, of course, some other big co-hosts and guests as well. So thank you to Gregory for putting this all together. Thank you to all of you for listening. And we'll talk to you again very, very soon.